End of the World
by Sarah Cabbage Patch
Summary: Is it possible to survive the end of the world? And even if you do... would you still be the same person? have the same values? love the same people...?
1. Prologue

Teen Titans: The End of the World

Chapter One: Prologue

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been. Wish they were. Won't lie.

A/N: Enjoy. I figured something new might help while I try to figure out how to finish my other stories. The chapters are prolly going to be pretty short for now. We'll see what happens the more involved I get with this.

Let me know what you think.

* * *

_First act I wake to find the hope/ To see you simply staring back at me_

_~ Blake Lewis. End of the World_

_

* * *

_

The Tower living room was dark and eerie as the small group stood there in a profound silence. Most of their allies, friends really, were already setting up the scenes for battle down below as they prepared for the biggest fight of their lives. Starfire had gone down to prepare with the others, unable to handle the intensity of the situation and not ready for what could be the end of them all. She refused to say goodbye and, when her friends insisted, she merely left the room and left them all to wallow in their despair. Deep inside they knew she was stronger than any of them because she had faith in her friends, but they couldn't help but let a little bit of reality in. They tried to stay positive and strong and, on the outside, they appeared as strong as they sounded.

Beast Boy left shortly after Starfire did; mostly he was trying to follow her optimism but they all knew he was scared and they let him deal with it on his own terms. He tried his hardest to make jokes and keep everyone's spirits up and, downstairs in the melee of meta-humans and normal humans alike, he was actually doing a pretty good job of it. Back upstairs, though, the atmosphere was somber as the deeper bonds of the team dealt with the gravity of the situation.

"Are you ready for this one, Rob? I know you and Slade seem to have a rather sordid history," Cyborg asked, placing a large hand on his shoulder. Over the years Robin had quickly caught up to his height and they had grown quite close, almost like brothers. The two young men were close to 22 years now and physically embodied the Titan name; they had put aside their differences years ago and, at times like these, they worked hard to make sure their family stayed intact.

"I sure as hell hope so," he grimaced, clasping his own hand upon the metal man's shoulder. They shared a weak smile while Cyborg patted his back and glanced towards the window.

"Whatever happens," he said. "Make sure you take care of her." He gave one last look back and walked down with the rest of their teammates, leaving the two birds alone before the world came crashing down on all of them.

Robin walked over by the window and put his arms around the petite woman scowling out the dark window, looking at the destruction that was heading their way. She leaned back into his embrace and let out a weary sigh.

"It always seems to come down to us against the world, doesn't it?" she murmured, never taking her eyes off the impending doom. "I'm ready for someone else to take up the mantle. I think I'm done with this whole 'saving-the-world' mumbo-jumbo….. I want to retire. Can we?"

Robin chuckled and kissed the top of her amethyst hair. "I could go for retirement…. Well…. Maybe a nice, long vacation. What do you have in mind?"

She was silent for a moment before replying, "I always heard Disney World was nice this time of year. Don't they call it the 'Happiest Place on Earth' or something? That could be promising. I bet they don't have maniacal villains hell-bent on taking over the world there."

Robin let out a long, loud laugh, the first one in days it seemed and turned her around to face him. "You make it really hard not to love you, you know that?" He kissed her passionately and then rested his forehead against hers. "We'll get through this, won't we? Good always wins, right?"

She smiled and raised his chin to look down into her violet orbs. "You do not actually doubt yourself now, do you? What happened to the eternal optimism in your crusade for all things good?" She sighed and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth. "We've fought worse and won before. We've already been here once; the second time can only be easier to navigate once you're familiar with all the crossroads."

He brought her into his arms and held onto her for a long time before letting go and grabbing her hand so they could head downstairs. "Raven," he breathed, unable to find the right words. "If something happens….. I don't know what I'd do…. But if, somehow…. If we get separated… or worse…."

"Don't worry," she interrupted, squeezing his hand as they entered the elevator. "We'll find each other. I'll meet you at the end of the world. You remember the place?"

"I'll be waiting," he said, smiling as the elevator doors closed with a ding.


	2. The Invisible Man

Teen Titans: The End of the World

Chapter Two: The Invisible Man

* * *

_Now I'm scared that this reality/Is much too heavy for me/_

_I'm too weak to be strong/I can't be the only one/_

_Holding on till the day you find me_

_~ Blake Lewis. End of the World_

_

* * *

_

The black-clad man swooped in and out of the shadows, keeping an eye on the flashing lights and nearby electronic scouts. He made his way out of town, or what was left of it, and headed towards the vast grounds covered in dilapidated mansion. He was late from his scouting watch but he didn't care; there wasn't much that he actually cared about anymore to be honest, and that suited him just fine. He had lost so much over the years that he got used to being cold, hard and not unlike the man who raised him. He arrived at the far east wall that used to house the elaborate study of Wayne Manor and then, waiting until the scouts passed by, pulled out "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison from the bookshelf and slid stealthily into the stairwell that opened in the floor.

He made the long trek into what used to be the Bat Cave and was now a safe haven for their tiny rebel sect. Gotham was one of the first cities to fall to Slade's army, which was really no surprise considering the majority of Gotham was comprised of scum and low lives. Combine them with the wealthy wussies that joined Slade merely to avoid losing their big mansions and BMWs and it only took a few hours to topple the majestic city.

The young man walked for a little longer before coming to the security point of their base; he put in his information and entered into the cold, sterile environment that had served as his home for the last 7 years. A few people greeted him upon sight and then went back to whatever menial thing they were using to occupy themselves nowadays. He headed toward the main console where he knew Bruce would be waiting and, before he knew it, he felt her before he heard her.

"Where have you been?" came the powerful voice from behind him. "You're over three hours late! Thompson has been back for a long time and he said you didn't communicate with him. I hate it when you do that."

Richard Grayson sighed heavily and turned around to face the angry woman glaring at him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, not really meaning it. "I just needed some time to think. I already radioed in and said I didn't see anything. And I'm okay, you can see now."

She sighed, her shoulders dropping all the tension and anger in her body. "I'm sorry too. I don't mean to be so harsh, I was just worried…. You've been taking a lot of time to 'think' lately. Something on your mind?"

She moved forward to rub his arms and comfort him, but he felt guilty enough just talking to her. He weighed whether or not to even tell her but he knew she wouldn't stop prodding until he gave her what she was looking for.

"I've been having some dreams lately…. Nightmares really," he admitted, looking off at the wall. "It seems like that night keeps playing over and over in my head recently and I don't know why or how to shake it. I can't stand that memory… I wish it would just disappear already."

She smiled comfortingly and leaned against his chest. "It's been seven years, Dick," she soothed. "And it was a horrific experience; I can't imagine what it must have been like to watch all your friends disappear like that. To top it off, you would have died too if Bruce hadn't been there to save you." She paused to kiss his chest and smile up at him. "You take all the time you need with this. Just let me know in the future instead of just running off, okay?"

He nodded and agreed as she walked off and he continued his journey to the operating room where he knew Bruce would be waiting. He shook his head to try and physically clear his mind as he entered the brightly lit room to see his mentor and father figure talking quietly to another scout. They looked up and Bruce said his goodbyes and motioned for Richard to enter the room. He saw Alfred come in from another room with a cup of black coffee for him and sat down at the long table, waiting for the barrage of disapproval.

"You sure have a way about you, you know that son?" Bruce growled, not looking at him just yet. "I'm glad you're okay but I know how these moods of yours take over and I'm used to you disappearing like that. You should know better than that to do the same to that poor girl."

Richard was completely taken aback by this turn of events. He expected to be yelled at, berated, maybe even locked into a room for not coming back on time but he never saw Bruce getting mad at him because of _this_. When he finally collected himself, he saw the two older men staring at him, waiting for a response.

"Um, I'm sorry," he fumbled, clasping his hands around the warm mug. "I guess I figured she would be fine. In fact I never considered how she would be to be honest…"

Bruce sighed and his body relaxed a little. "I know. It's just…. She's been through a lot in the last year and I feel like I need to look out for her since it's my fault she's alone anyway." He paused as if remembering something horrific and shook it out. "I just wish you would move on and be happy with her. You two fit really well together. You're kind of like….well…. like birds of a feather, I guess."

Richard's whole body tensed and he felt the leftover pieces of his heart vibrating with pain in his hollow chest. He clenched the mug so hard he thought it might break; it took several minutes for him to calm down enough not to cry, something he hadn't done in almost six years. He took a deep breath and let it out before thinking about what he wanted to say.

"First off Bruce," he began quietly, not looking at anyone in particular. "What happened with her father…. It wasn't your fault. Things happen in times like this and she understands that. Second… I _care_…for her. I do. But I'll never feel the same way….. That's just something I can't do. If I haven't healed in seven years, then I don't know if ever will." He stopped to see pained looks on the only family he had left in his life. "I'll try harder not to worry her but she knows how I am. I can't change how I feel and she knows that…. Knows _me_, I guess. Right now, we're a comfort to each other but that's it and we _both_ understand that. Please don't worry."

He stood up, drained his coffee and set it down with a weary look on his face. "I hope you'll excuse me but I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I really should rest up before my next mission."

He started to walk off and Bruce spoke up as he reached the door.

"I will try not to worry," Bruce said softly. "But please remember that I've taken Gordon's place in her life and I only want both of you to move on with your life and be happy in these hard times. You're lucky to have someone like Barbara who cares for you, Richard. Good night."

Richard mumbled something back and skulked back to his room, the last vestiges of his heart desperately fighting to feel something once more.


End file.
